


The Vessel

by chellefic



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Community: deancastiel, First Time, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-23
Updated: 2012-01-23
Packaged: 2017-10-29 23:37:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/325424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chellefic/pseuds/chellefic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When his vessel goes missing, Castiel turns to Dean for help.</p><p>Written for highermagic for the 2010 DeanCastiel Fic Exchange.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Vessel

_"Dean."_

Dean turned, looking for the source of the sound. It was a typical hotel room -- a bed, a dresser, a television, a couple of chairs, and absolutely no people. "Cas? Where are you?"

 _"I'm in heaven."_

"So you're what? The voice in my head now?" Dean asked.

 _"Something like that. I need your help."_

"With what?" Dean asked, even though the chances of him refusing to help Cas were pretty damned slim.

 _"I need you to be my vessel, temporarily."_

Vessel? Cas had a vessel. And if he didn't now-- Dean swallowed and sat on the end of the bed. He'd known things were getting ugly up in heaven. "What happened to Jimmy?"

 _"He's been stolen."_

"Someone stole your vessel? How do you steal a vessel?"

 _"You take it without permission. Obviously."_ The tone of Cas's voice was a little over the top in Dean's opinion. It had been a perfectly reasonable question. _"The matter is urgent. Whoever stole my vessel is clearly trying to keep me from Earth."_

"Which means you should probably get your butt down here ASAP."

 _"Precisely."_

"I'm not going to end up like Raphael's vessel, am I? All used up."

 _"No, I would never let that happen to you."_

"Didn't think so. All right. Go for it. Take me, I'm--" Heat, intense and weirdly erotic, flooded through him, reaching from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. The heat faded into a warm glow, and it felt like every cell in his body was tingling. "Cas?" Dean asked, confused because while he hadn't known what to expect, it hadn't been this.

 _"I'm here, Dean."_ This time the voice really was inside his head, as if he was thinking the words instead of hearing them.

"That's weird." Jimmy had described being possessed by an angel as clinging to the tail of a comet, but Dean just felt relaxed, warmed from the inside out, and tingly. Definitely tingly. "I thought when you guys possessed someone you took over and the poor bastard was just shoved off into some corner of his own brain." The room did look a little brighter somehow, like there was more light and everything was sharper. Enhanced angel senses, maybe.

 _"It took me awhile, but I figured out how to share the vessel's body rather than take control."_

"Then how come we never see Jimmy?"

 _"Jimmy's in heaven."_

"Wait, somebody stole his body and it doesn't even have a soul in it?" Dean asked, leaning back on his elbows. Looking down at his feet, he wiggled his toes. He was wearing his boots, so he couldn't see them move, but he could feel it. Apparently, he still had control over all parts Winchester, which was a relief, not that he didn't trust Cas. If he hadn't trusted Cas, he wouldn't have said yes.

 _"It's just a shell when I'm not using it."_

A literal meat suit, Dean thought. Stealing a body without a soul was even weirder than stealing one with a soul. He lowered his feet. "What did you do, leave it in some storage locker?"

 _"I placed it in what I thought was a secure location. I try not to leave it at all, but sometimes my duties require it."_

"Okay, so where do we begin the search?" Dean asked, standing.

 _"We should check in with Bobby and Sam, see if they've noticed any unusual signs."_

Sam was at Bobby's, still recovering from his time as Lucifer's meat suit. With the town's resident evil spirit taken care of, Dean had been about to head back there anyway. "Okay, but I'm driving."

Having someone else roll your eyes was damned weird.

"Hey," Dean said, "stop that. If we're sharing, I get control of all bodily movements." After a second he added, "And functions."

 _"I don't have a problem with that."_

"Good."

 _"Can we go now? Because I could have us there already."_

"No zapping unless I say so." He wasn't about to be constipated and possessed at the same time.

 _"Dean."_

"I'm going." Pulling on his jacket, Dean grabbed his duffel and his keys.

 

 _"Please stop humming."_

Dean frowned. Cas had never complained about his humming before.

 _"I was never in your head before."_

If humming was out, he was just going to have to sing. Turning up the volume, Dean opened his mouth only to have it close again. "Cas," he said through a clenched jaw.

 _"I've heard you sing."_

"Thought we agreed I had control of my body," Dean thought at Cas.

 _"Don't shout."_ Cas released his jaw and Dean stretched it. _"And don't sing."_

Dean turned the volume up just a little higher, but he didn't sing. After all, he didn't torture anymore.

 

 _"Why are we stopping?"_

"Can't you feel that?" Dean asked, bringing the Impala to a halt in front of a McDonald's. It was the only thing open in towns like this after 8 p.m.

 _"Feel what?"_

"You were human once. Don't tell me you can't remember what it felt like to need to piss."

 _"I've tried very, very hard to forget."_

"I bet you have," Dean said, getting out of the car.

The one good thing about fast food joints was that they usually had clean restrooms. Going up to the urinal, Dean unzipped his pants. "No peeking." He wasn't embarrassed by his junk, but he didn't feel the need to show it off either, especially to Cas.

 _"Dean."_

What was it about his name that made it possible for people to say entire sentences with just four letters? "I mean it. Just look the other way."

 _"I can't 'look the other way.' Your eyes are my eyes."_

"You're the one who let his vessel get stolen."

 _"My eyes, metaphorically speaking, are closed."_

"Keep 'em that way."

 _"Urinate so we can go."_

"You've gotten awfully bossy since your promotion."

In the back of his head, Dean felt Cas sigh.

***

Dean knocked twice then opened the door. "Sam? Bobby?"

"In here," Sam yelled.

Dean found them in the kitchen, seated at the kitchen table, each with a plate filled with steak and an open beer.

"That was quick," Bobby said.

"There's another steak in the fridge," Sam said. "It shouldn't take long to cook."

Shaking his head, Dean pulled out a chair and sat. "I'm fine." He'd eat later, once they'd explained things.

Sam paused with his fork halfway to his mouth and looked at Bobby, then Dean. "You're turning down steak?"

"Not hungry. Listen, something's happened."

Sam frowned. "What?"

"Cas's vessel was stolen."

"Stolen?" Bobby said, reaching for his beer.. "How do you steal a vessel?"

"That's what I asked," Dean said.

 _"Obviously, you take it with--"_

"Without permission. Yeah, I know that," Dean said. "So do they."

"Dean?" Sam asked, eyebrows going pointedly up.

Dean pointed at his head. "I was talking to Cas."

"Cas is in your head?"

"He needed a vessel. It's just until we find Jimmy."

 _"Jimmy's gone."_

"I know that, Cas," Dean said.

 _"Then why are you being imprecise?"_

"Angel in your head," Bobby said drily, putting his beer back on the table and picking up his fork. "That must be fun."

"It's a laugh a minute," Dean said, watching Bobby slice into his steak. It was strangely unappealing.

 _"I haven't laughed,"_ Cas said.

"Why would someone take Cas's vessel?" Sam asked.

 _"To keep me from Earth, obviously."_

"Cas thinks it was to keep him in heaven and off of Earth."

Pursing his lips, Sam tilted his head to the side. "Makes sense."

"So Cas have any idea where his body might be or who stole it?" Bobby asked.

 _"Raphael."_

"I hate that guy," Dean said.

"Who?" Sam asked.

"Raphael."

"The archangel?" Bobby asked.

"One and the same," Dean said. "He doesn't like Cas and isn't too happy about the new regime." From what Cas had said during his visits, Raphael had been the main source of opposition to Cas's efforts to get things back in order up there.

 _"That's an understatement,"_ Cas said. Dean ignored him.

Abandoning his steak, Sam leaned back in his chair. "How do we find an archangel?"

 _"There should be signs."_

"There should be signs," Dean said.

"What kind of signs?" Bobby asked.

 _"Maybe I should talk to them."_

"I don't know," Dean said.

"Well ask," Bobby said in that impatient, 'how much of an idiot are you' tone Dean was so fond of.

"I was talking to Cas," Dean said. "Fine, take over."

 _"Thank you."_

A moment later Dean found himself pushed gently to the side in his own head. The warm, tingly feeling changed to a steady thrum, like Cas's consciousness was vibrating against his. It was really fucking strange.

Cas straightened his back, his shoulders going slightly back and his head lifting, like he was in some kind of posture class. _"Hey,"_ Dean said, _"who said you could change the way I sit?"_

"It's more comfortable this way," Cas said.

 _"No, it isn't."_

"Dean."

 _"Fine. I'll just hang out here and listen, while you talk to Sam and Bobby using my mouth."_

"Cas?" Sam asked. He looked appalled and curious at the same time. It was a look Dean had been seeing as long he could remember and seeing it now made him feel oddly normal. As his life went, sharing his body with a recently promoted archangel wasn't all that unusual.

"Yes, Sam," Cas said, adding, "Dean's fine. I'll give him control again as soon as we're done speaking."

"Okay," Sam said slowly, frowning. Dean hoped he wasn't remembering battling Lucifer for control of his own body.

 _"Get on with it,"_ Dean said and tried to fold his arms, only he couldn't. With an annoyed sound, he put them back where they were, not that he'd managed to move them in the first place.

"I was about to," Cas said, then glanced from Bobby to Sam. "It's difficult to know what signs to look for without knowing what Raphael intends to do."

Sam nodded.

Bobby had finished his steak and he pushed the plate away with his thumb. "What do you think he might be up to?"

"That's just it. Raphael has rarely shown any interest in Earth or humanity outside of the apocalypse. I have no idea what he might be doing down here," Cas said. Dean could feel his frustration. It was a feeling he could identify with.

"What are his motives? What is it he wants?" Sam asked.

Cas frowned. "To hurt me, possibly."

 _"Not gonna happen,"_ Dean said, and felt Cas smile, using Dean's mouth. Dean wondered if Cas's smile was broader on his face than it had been on Jimmy's.

"Which he could do by coming after us, after Dean," Sam said.

Cas nodded as if that made perfect sense, which, okay, it did. Dean and Sam were the closest thing Cas had to a family, especially considering how fucked up his own was. With brothers like Raphael and Zachariah, who needed enemies?

But how would Raphael come at them, Dean wondered. He probably wouldn't be sneaky about it, that's for sure. The one thing Raphael was, was a showy bastard. He'd knock out the power on the entire eastern seaboard just because he could. _"Power outages,"_ Dean said.

"That's a thought," Cas answered.

"What is?" Sam asked, leaning forward.

"Power outages. Raphael is, as Dean put it, a showy bastard. The time Dean and I summoned him, he knocked out power on the entire eastern seaboard."

Sam looked at Bobby. "It's a place to start," Bobby said.

"It is," Cas agreed, and between one breath and the next Dean was back in his body. He immediately relaxed his back and rolled his shoulders. Sitting that straight just wasn't natural.

***

Dean was back behind the wheel, Sam at his side, Led Zep coming from the tape deck. He tapped his hands on the steering wheel in time with "Traveling Man Blues."

 _"Aren't you supposed to keep your hands on the wheel."_

"Cas."

 _"Yes."_

"Shut up."

Sam gave him a sideways glance but said nothing.

Dean hadn't slept or eaten in two days. He hadn't gone to the bathroom since that McDonald's on the way to Bobby's, and he felt great. He looked pretty good, too, better than usual, and he was a good-looking bastard to begin with.

Cas sighed. Cas thought Dean spent too much time worrying about his looks. Dean had argued his looks were a job asset, but the whole thing was still a sore spot.

Not that Dean had poked that sore spot by taking extra care in the shower or looking really closely at his own reflection in the mirror. He was totally above that kind of thing.

Cas snorted.

"Stop eavesdropping on my thoughts."

 _"Stop thinking so loudly."_

"I am not thinking loudly."

Beside him, Sam snickered. Dean glanced at him long enough to glare, then turned up the music and went back to drumming on the steering wheel.

 

They stopped for gas just outside Buffalo. Dean would've preferred waiting until they were in the city, but his baby couldn't run on fumes. Gas tank filled, Dean went inside. Sam had gone inside to look for snacks so Dean wasn't surprised by the "Hey, Dean" that greeted him.

He turned, instinctively catching the magazine Sam tossed at him. "Busty Asian Beauties." Smiling, he started to flip through it, before remembering who was along for the ride. The last thing he needed was an erection while Cas was sharing his body. Closing the magazine, he strode toward the magazine rack and stuffed the magazine into a random spot at the back.

Sam was standing near the rack, smirking.

"You ready to go?" Dean demanded.

"Sure. Not interested in the new issue?" Sam asked, still smirking as he walked toward the counter with Dean.

"No good articles," Dean said, keeping his tone as light as he could and resisting the urge to smack Sam on the back of the head.

 _"Those magazines have articles?"_ Cas asked.

"Yes, they have articles, why do you think I buy them?"

 _"I assumed it was so you could masturbate while looking at the photos."_

Dean stumbled.

Cas, the bastard, radiated satisfaction.

Dean was beginning to think he was a bad influence.

 

"We should stop for the night," Sam said.

Dean looked in his direction, though it was dark enough out that he couldn't really see Sam. "I don't need to sleep."

"I do. I've barely been out of this car since we left Bobby's, which was more than 30 hours ago."

A power outage had taken out nearly the entire state of Maine. Since that was where Raphael's vessel lived in a home for the broken and drooling, they'd figured he'd gone there first and were hoping to pick up his trail from there. If by some chance they managed to find the angelic bastard, they were going to need to all be in fighting shape. "All right," Dean conceded, even though Cas was radiating impatience.

"I don't like it either, but humans need sleep, Cas, and we need Sam at his best when we take on Raphael."

Cas's impatience didn't fade, but he said, _"Very well."_

"Thanks," Dean said. Neither of them mentioned Dean's worry that Sam, having only been topside for a few weeks, wasn't quite ready to be hunting archangels.

"We're getting separate rooms," Sam said, as Dean began searching the road for signs of civilization. "I am not listening to the two of you bicker all night."

"We don't bicker." They didn't. They teased. Teasing was fun, and Cas was getting much better at it. Dean was a good teacher, if he did say so himself.

"Bobby described it as listening to one half of an argument between an old married couple."

 _"We aren't married,"_ Cas said.

"They're teasing us, Cas," Dean answered.

 _"Oh."_ So maybe Cas needed a little more instruction.

"More like providing an accurate description," Sam muttered.

Dean chose to ignore him.

 

The problem with Vermont was that it just didn't have enough sleazy motels. Or enough sleazy anything, really. Apparently, the state couldn't even manage to support a Hooters. It was downright unnatural.

Dean looked around their clean, boring room and stood. "I'm going to take a shower."

 _"Not another one."_

"I haven't showered since Bobby's. We're going to start smelling a little ripe, Cas."

 _"As I told you before, I can clean your body."_

"And as I told you, I'm perfectly capable of washing up without any angel mojo."

 _"It's a waste of time."_

"Which we have plenty of, at the moment."

Cas sighed. _"Fine, just get it over quickly. There's no need to linger."_

"I like showers. They're one of life's pleasures."

 _"You are a sensualist."_

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Dean said, squatting down to remove his boots, before entering the bathroom. Leaning over the sink, he looked in the mirror, searching for signs of Cas. It was weird, but he kind of missed looking at the guy. Dean was pretty sure his eyes were brighter than usual. His beard hadn't grown since Cas had moved into his body. "Why did Jimmy always have stubble?"

 _"What?"_

"My beard hasn't grown. Why did his?"

 _"It didn't. That was the length it was when I took over."_

"Oh." Turning away from the mirror, Dean shrugged out of his button-down shirt, then pulled off his t-shirt. He dropped both on the floor and started undoing his jeans. Cas was sending out feelings of exaggerated resignation. Maybe Sam had had a point with that whole married couple thing, Dean thought. Reaching into the shower, he turned on the water, fiddling with the controls until he had the right temperature. Then he stepped inside, sighing at the feel of warm water hitting his shoulders.

Tipping his head forward, he let the water flow down his back and neck. "Doesn't that feel good?"

 _"It's-- "_ Cas hesitated. _"Pleasant enough, I suppose."_

Turning, Dean lifted his face, letting the water cascade over his chest for a moment before reaching for the bottle of shower gel. He gave it a sniff, the scent was clean and kind of woodsy, much to Dean's relief. He was tired of smelling like vanilla.

He poured some gel into his palm, the rubbed his hands together. When he had a good lather, he lifted an arm and rubbed the lather underneath, repeating the action on the other side.

 _"You do not have an unpleasant odor, you know. Any bacteria--"_

"Cas," Dean said, letting the tone of his voice convey his message, which was, in essence, 'we've been over this already. I'm going to shower so stop whining about it.' Cas didn't answer, but Dean could feel his frustration.

"What do you have against showers, anyway?"

 _"They're a waste of time,"_ Cas said, but Dean was pretty sure that wasn't it. _"How come you were uncomfortable urinating in front of me, but have no problem flaunting yourself in the shower?"_

Dean thought it over. "Pissing's kind of personal. Once someone's seen you in the bathroom, the romance is over."

 _"We aren't involved in a romance."_

Cas's answer was a little pissy, Dean thought. Filling his hands with lather, he rubbed them across his chest. "Me being naked bothers you, doesn't it?"

 _"You're the one who didn't want to get an erection while I was in your head."_

"Touche," Dean said, bending forward to wash a thigh. In the corner of his mind, he could feel Cas's tension. The guy was wound tight, really tight. "It really does bother you."

 _"I've never been this close to a naked person before. It's uncomfortable,"_ Cas conceded.

"Uncomfortable as in embarrassing, or uncomfortable as in arousing?"

 _"I don't believe you want me to answer that question."_

Which was an answer in itself. Dean rinsed the soap from his chest and legs. Cas had never been this close to a naked person, never touched someone else's naked skin. Under the circumstances, being turned on by a shower wasn't really a surprise, except maybe to Cas. Touching, being touched, they were some of the best parts of being human. Cas had rebelled to save humanity, given up heaven, everything he knew. Hell, he'd died twice, and he'd never been touched.

Picking up the gel, Dean poured some into his palm, rubbed it over both hands, and then reached between his legs. Cupping his balls, he stroked the side of one with his thumb, before moving up to his cock. It was soft and he stroked it lightly, far more lightly than he usually did when showering.

 _"Dean."_

"There's nothing wrong with a little touching," Dean said, resting the tip of his cock in the curl of his fingers and rubbing the sensitive spot on the underside with his thumb."You never did this for yourself, did you?"

 _"No."_ Cas sounded helpless and frustrated, like he knew he'd lost, except Cas hadn't really tried to fight him.

His cock was starting to harden and Dean gave himself an encouraging stroke. "So take over. Come on, try it."

 _"I couldn't."_

"Yes, you could." The weird thing was that Dean wanted him to. He wanted Cas to feel this, to know the pleasure of his own touch. Maybe it would be Dean's touch. Either way, Cas should feel it. He'd earned it.

 _"I don't know what to do."_

"It's not hard to figure out. Trust me," Dean said. Feeling Cas's uncertainty, he added, "Just try it, if you don't like it you can stop."

 _"What if you don't like it?"_

Outside of the conversation with Bobby and Sam, Dean had stayed in control the entire time Cas had been in his body. Dean appreciated that, he did, but he could handle a little sharing, at least with Cas. It wasn't like Cas didn't already know him inside and out. And Cas would never take advantage, not of Dean. After Lucifer rose, Cas had become one of the few things in his life Dean was absolutely certain about. Having Cas in his head, being able to sense Cas's feelings, his consciousness, that had just made Dean more certain. Everything Cas was, was inside Dean, and Dean wasn't pushing it away. "If I don't like it, I'll ask you to stop."

 _"Promise?"_

Dean smiled. "Yeah, I promise."

A moment later he felt Cas's consciousness brush up against his, gently easing him aside. It was still the weirdest thing he'd ever felt. "What do I do?" Cas asked.

 _"Stroke. Do what feels good,"_ Dean answered.

"All right," Cas said, sounding doubtful. He stroked Dean's hand along Dean's shaft. It felt good to Dean, but muffled, like he was feeling it through a layer of cotton.

 _"That's it,"_ Dean said.

Cas repeated the stroke a few times before shifting and tightening his grip. "Oh." Cas said. Dean could feel his surprise. Cas moved his hand along the entire length of the shaft, the base of his thumb brushing the spot below the head.

To Dean the sensations were still muffled, but he could feel Cas's pleasure every place their awareness touched. He had no idea why he could feel so much more of Cas when Cas was in charge, but he wasn't about to complain, not when he could feel Cas's strength curling around him.

Cas stroked faster, and Dean could feel him wobbling on his feet.

 _"Lean on the wall,"_ Dean instructed, and Cas rested his forearm against the wall, leaning forward and staring down at the cock in his hand -- Dean's hand. It had been a long time since Dean had watched himself jerk-off. The sight of his cock appearing and disappearing in the circle of his own hand was pretty much old hat, but not to Cas. Cas stared, the sight clearly adding to the physical pleasure cascading off of him and into Dean.

Cas groaned, and Dean could feel him -- feel them -- getting closer.

"Dean."

 _"Keep going."_

"I don't think I could stop."

Dean would've smiled at that, if he'd had control of his mouth. _"Good."_

A few more strokes and Cas was coming. Dean felt his cock spurt, felt it in his groin and his cock, felt it in the hand cradling his cock, but the physical sensations were nothing compared to what he felt from Cas, who was sending out pleasure, amazement, gratitude and something else, something that felt like affection, all at once, surrounding Dean with it until his awareness was shaking along with Cas's.

Cas rested Dean's forehead against his arm, breathing deeply and a little erratically.

 _"You okay?"_ Dean asked.

"Fine. I should--"

Dean felt Cas preparing to step back. _"No, you stay in charge."_

Cas frowned. "Are you sure?"

 _"Wouldn't have suggested it, if I wasn't,"_ Dean said. He liked the way he could feel Cas when they were like this, and if Cas wanted to explore some more, this would hopefully be his only chance. _"You might want to turn the shower head, rinse off the wall."_

"Oh," Cas said, stepping back and looking at the semen dripping down the shower wall. "Right."

Once the wall was clean, Cas stepped from the shower.

 _"Don't forget to dry off,"_ Dean said helpfully, getting flustered annoyance in return.

Maybe he should've kept his mouth shut, because Cas dried Dean's body far more carefully than Dean ever had, as if every inch of skin had to have the water removed from it.

 _"You don't actually have to dry between my toes, you know,"_ Dean pointed out.

"I'm aware," Cas said and kept drying. He was resting Dean's foot on the closed lid of the toilet and using the big, soft white towel supplied by the motel to dry between each of Dean's toes.

 _"You have a foot fetish."_

"Yes, Dean, I have a desperate and irrepressible longing for your feet."

Dean felt a surge of pride. Clearly, his teasing lessons were paying off.

With every bit of Dean finally dry, Cas bent to pick up Dean's clothes from the floor.

 _"Leave 'em. I'll get them later."_

Cas straightened. "All right."

 _"See the bottle of lotion next to the sink. Get that."_ Dean could feel Cas's puzzlement, but he picked up the lotion and carried it with them into the main room. _"Lay down."_

"Shouldn't I get dressed?"

 _"Not yet."_

"What are you up to?"

 _"I thought you trusted me."_

Dean felt his own eyes narrow. "Trust is lost when it's abused."

 _"I'm not going to abuse your trust. I just thought maybe you'd want to touch some more."_

"Thank you, but that really isn't necessary," Cas said, walking toward Dean's duffel.

 _"I know you want to do it again. Once you've discovered the joys of jerking off, once just isn't enough."_

"I can try it again when I'm back in my vessel. I don't need to take advantage of your hospitality."

 _"My hospitality? Cas, you're wearing my body."_

"Because when I tried to give you back control, you stopped me."

 _"Exactly."_ Sensing Cas's confused frustration, Dean decided he'd have to actually explain. Given the things he'd do for his friends, it was a good thing he only had three, and one of them was his brother. _"Here's the thing. I like you. We're friends, and friends do nice things for one another."_

"I'm fairly certain they don't masturbate while in one another's bodies."

 _"It's not like our friendship is normal."_

"True," Cas agreed cautiously, as if afraid of what he might be agreeing to.

 _"Think of it as something fun we can do together,"_ Dean said, pausing before going in for the kill. _"It's either that or late night infomercials."_ Cas hated infomercials, something about the way they preyed on human insecurities.

"You have a point," Cas conceded, stepping toward the bed. Dropping the towel to the floor, he lay in the middle of the bed and looked up at the ceiling. "Where do I start?"

 _"Wherever you want."_

"Where do you usually start?"

 _"That's kind of personal."_

The silence was pointed.

Dean had to admit Cas's silence had a good point. _"I don't usually have a lot of time, with Sam and I sharing a room all the time."_

"What do you do when you have time?"

Dean tried to shake his head, then stopped when it didn't move. _"This is about you figuring out what you like, not me telling you what I like."_

It felt like Cas was actually pouting, which couldn't be happening, because Cas was an angel of the lord. He didn't pout. He got in your face and told you how pissed or disappointed he was. Dean shied away from that thought.

"I want to know what you like," Cas said.

 _"How about this? You try out whatever appeals to you and when you hit on something I like, I'll tell you."_

"That would be acceptable," Cas said, nodding Dean's head, which was kind of disorienting. It was weird how Cas jerking him off was less weird than Cas nodding. All of which was too much weirdness to think about. Besides, Dean was a man of action, not contemplation, that was Sammy's gig.

 _"Come on. Get started. We don't have all night."_

"Yes, we do," Cas said, but he lifted a hand anyway and pressed it flat to the center of Dean's chest, before edging over to the side, where he rubbed traced the curve of Dean's pec with his fingers. The touch was light and Dean couldn't feel much of it. That was okay. He was just along for the ride.

Cas touched him slowly, sometimes with a light graze of Dean's fingertips, sometimes with a firm rub from his entire hand. The inside of Dean's elbow received a ticklish graze, while Cas pressed his whole palm to the curve of Dean's shoulder. Dean had never realized how solid his shoulders were before. That was some serious muscle.

"Stop preening," Cas said, his words completely undermined by the amused affection Dean could feel coming off of him.

It wasn't a new feeling. Dean had felt the same thing when he'd stumbled across a late night Star Trek marathon when they were at Bobby's. _"I'm not preening."_

"Of course you weren't," Cas said in a tone he had to have learned from Sam. He brushed his fingers across Dean's nipple. "Is this something you do?" Cas asked, rubbing it more firmly.

 _"Sometimes."_

"I like it," Cas said, switching his attention to the other side. "Do you think I'll like the same things in Jimmy's body?"

 _"I don't know,"_ Dean answered, thinking it over. _"When it comes to sex I think there are some things we like because of how our bodies are wired, like having your nipples played with, and some things we like because of our personality, who we are, and some that are probably a combination of both."_

"That sounds very complicated."

 _"Sex is only as complicated as you make it,"_ Dean said as Cas slid his hand down across Dean's belly.

"Is this sex?"

Cas never had asked the easy questions. _"Maybe. I don't know. There's two of us, right, so--"_

Bypassing Dean's cock, Cas slid his hand down the inside of Dean's thigh, palm curling around it. "Do you like it that I'm touching you?"

 _"You're touching you, too."_

"You're avoiding the question," Cas said, totally matter of fact in his response, and rubbed his fingers along the crease between thigh and groin.

With Cas in his head, there wasn't any point in lying, not that Dean had ever managed to hide anything from Cas anyway. _"Yeah, I like it."_

"I like it, too." Cas brought his free hand into the action, reaching up and rolling a nipple between his fingertips as he cupped Dean's balls in his other hand. "Your scrotum is soft."

Dean didn't have an answer for that, so he concentrated on the sensations Cas's touch was creating. They were less muffled now than they'd been in the shower.

Releasing Dean's nipple, Cas lifted his hand to Dean's lips, tracing them with a finger. It felt surprisingly good. "What's it feel like to kiss someone?" Cas asked.

 _"You feel their lips pressing into yours. It's good, you know, pleasurable."_ Dean tried to frown. _"That's not a really good description, is it?"_

"No."

 _"If you want, when you're back in your vessel, I'll kiss you."_ The words slipped out before Dean could think about them.

"I'd like that."

 _"It's a date,"_ Dean said absently, his attention captured by the hand that had curled around his cock.

Cas stroked slowly along the entire length. "It feels different without the soap."

 _"That's why we brought the lotion."_

Nodding --which was still disorienting -- Cas lifted himself onto an elbow, watching as he slid Dean's hand over Dean's dick. "You're circumcised."

 _"It was a pretty common thing when I was born."_

Instead of answering, Cas rubbed the head with his thumb, sending sparks of pleasure up Dean's spine. "I like that."

 _"Me, too."_

"You play with the head of your cock when you have time," Cas said. It wasn't quite a question, more like he was simply getting confirmation of his conclusion.

 _"Yeah."_

"Interesting," Cas said, laying back down and using one hand to hold Dean's cock steady while using the other to explore the head.

Cas was touching him with the same honest curiosity he brought to almost everything. That curiosity was one of the things Dean liked about him, because there wasn't any judgment in it, not for Dean or anyone else. Cas brushed the tip of Dean's cock with the center of his palm and traced the slit with his fingertips.

It was obvious Cas was enjoying himself. Dean could feel Cas's pleasure surrounding him, but the pleasure wasn't coming just from Dean's cock, or any part of Dean's body. Cas was enjoying giving him pleasure, making him feel good, which made sense. Wanting to give Cas pleasure was the reason Dean had started this in the first place. Cas was just reciprocating.

"I wish--" Cas said.

Before Dean could ask what Cas wished for, he felt Cas's consciousness shifting, so they were sort of stretched out side by side in Dean's body. He could feel Cas's awareness alongside his own from his toes all the way to his head. "Oh," Dean said, and the word actually came out of his mouth, startling him.

"Feel this," Cas said, stroking Dean's cock. Dean knew the cock in his hand was his own, but when he felt Cas shudder in pleasure it felt like he was touching Cas.

Dean brought their other hand down to cup his balls. He liked having a hand on his balls, and Cas stroked again, faster this time. "Don't go too fast," Dean said. He wanted this to last.

"We can do it again," Cas answered, not slowing even a little.

Dean could've tried to slow Cas's strokes, but he didn't, because they could do it again.

Tightening his grip, Cas focused on the head, moving over it in short, quick jerks, which was just the way Dean liked it. He could feel Cas reaching for him, holding onto him, needing him. Dean reached back, twining his awareness with Cas's as their shared body tumbled into orgasm.

 

 _"Dean?"_

"Mmm?" Dean answered, wondering why Cas was back to speaking only in his head. He settled a little more deeply into the bed. The room might be boring, but the bed was damned comfortable.

 _"What's this feeling?"_

"It's happiness."

 _"Is it because we had so many orgasms?"_ After the second one, they'd kept going, and Dean had discovered there was definitely something to be said for angel stamina.

"Partly." Feeling Cas's frustration at his answer, Dean added, "And partly it's that we had them together."

 _"I like this feeling."_

"Me, too." Dean glanced at the clock. It was almost 6:30. "We should get going. Sam'll probably be here any minute." He rolled to his feet. "And we need a shower."

 _"Or I could just clean us off."_

"Go ahead," Dean said, relenting.

The feeling Dean was getting from Cas was one of downright glee as he mojoed the semen off of them. Shaking his head, he started toward his duffel, turning on the television as he walked by in hopes of getting a weather report.

He'd just pulled on his jeans, when he heard, "Maine Electric and Gas has identified the cause of a power outage which struck the state two days ago." Dean looked at the screen where a man was standing in front of a silver-colored building holding what appeared to be a fried squirrel.

"A squirrel got into a transformer north of Portland--" the anchor said.

Dean sat on the edge of the bed. A squirrel. A fucking squirrel. "Guess we're back to square one."

 _"So it would appear."_

"I'm sorry, Cas."

 _"We knew it was a long shot."_

"Yeah, well," Dean said, standing and rummaging through his duffel for a clean shirt.

 _"I can return to heaven,"_ Cas offered.

Dean put on his shirt. "No way, we're in this together."

 _"Very well,"_ Cas said. Dean sensed a mix of pleasure and concern under the words, but before he could say anything someone knocked on the door.

Crossing the room, Dean peaked through the eye hole in the door at Sam, then unlocked it, stepping back to let Sam into the room. "They found the cause of the power outage," Dean said. "It was a squirrel."

"A squirrel?" Sam echoed, as Dean walked back toward the bed and bent to pick up the towel he and Cas had left on the floor.

"It got into a transformer."

"What now?" Sam asked.

Before Dean could answer, Joshua appeared in front of the television, with Jimmy Novak's body next to him. "Hello," Joshua said. "I've brought Castiel's vessel."

Feeling Cas pulling away from him, Dean said, "Stop that. You don't know where it's been or what might've been done to it."

 _"Joshua would not have harmed my vessel."_

"You don't know that. Let's let him explain why he has it first," Dean said, crossing his arms and looking at Joshua.

 _"Fine,"_ Cas said, but he didn't sound happy about it.

"I was instructed to bring the vessel here, to Castiel," Joshua said.

"By who?"

 _"Whom,"_ Cas and Sam said at the same time.

"Whom?" Dean said.

"The same person who instructed me to take it."

"Someone told you to take Cas's vessel?" Sam asked.

"Whom -- who -- told you to take it?" Dean asked, taking a step closer to Joshua, not that he was any threat to an angel, even an angel gardener.

Looking directly at Dean for the first time since he'd appeared, Johsua said, "God."

"God," Dean echoed. "God told you to take Cas's vessel?"

 _"Why?"_ Cas asked.

"Yeah, why?" Dean asked.

"He wanted Castiel to return to Earth for awhile. He felt Castiel was spending too much time on his duties and not enough time with his friends."

Cas did work too much. Dean had tried to tell him that a few weeks earlier and Cas had simply pointed at Dean and said, "pot" before disappearing in a rustle of feathers.

 _"Stop being so smug,"_ Cas said.

"He couldn't have just said that?" Sam asked and Dean nodded. It was a good question.

Shifting uncomfortably, Joshua said, "I believe there were some other things he wished Castiel to learn."

"Other--" Dean started, then stopped, getting a puzzled look from Sam.

"What other things?" Sam asked.

"I don't think it's really any of your --our-- business what God wants Cas to learn, do you? Some things are between an angel and his deity," Dean said. "Thanks, Josh, for bringing Jimmy back. I know Cas is really grateful."

Joshua frowned at him. "Castiel, I am sorry for taking your vessel."

"It's not like you had a choice," Dean said, before Cas could answer.

Frown deepening, Joshua nodded once. "Good-bye Dean, Castiel." He looked at Sam. "Sam." Then he was gone.

Dean breathed a sigh of relief. Then he caught sight of Sam's face. Sam had that expression, the one which said he was going to hound Dean until he got answers. "You think you could give us a minute? Let Cas return to his body?"

"I've seen angels switch vessels before," Sam said, pulling himself up to his full height and crossing his arms like he was trying to make himself into the giant, immovable man.

"Cas would appreciate it."

 _"I don't need Sam to leave,"_ Cas said.

Dean ignored him. "It'll only be a minute." Taking Sam by the arm, Dean maneuvered him toward the door. Sam frowned at him the entire time, but he went.

"We are going to talk, Dean," he said, as Dean closed the door in his face and locked it.

 _"That was unnecessary."_

"No, it really wasn't."

 _"I'm going to go now."_

"All right," Dean said, even though it didn't feel all right.

 _"I'll miss you, too,"_ Cas said, and then he was pulling away, taking all that warmth and strength with him. With a final brush of his awareness against Dean's he was gone.

Cas opened his eyes, staring straight at Dean like two blue headlights. "Are you okay?" Cas asked, rolling his shoulders and stretching upward. The guy really had a thing for posture.

"Sure. You?"

"It's nice to be able to see you again."

The warmth in his tone went straight through Dean, reminding him of everything they'd done the night before, and he felt himself flush. "I--" It was kind of nice to see Cas again, too. It wasn't like the guy was hard on the eyes or anything.

Cas took a step toward him. Dean took a step toward Cas. Cas was inside Dean's personal space, not that Dean cared, or even really noticed. He was too busy looking at Cas's mouth and remembering the promise he'd made. Bending forward, he pressed his lips to Cas's.

Cas's lips were soft and full and damned inviting. Easing closer, Dean wrapped his arms around Cas's waist. Cas made a small sound and slipped his arms around Dean's shoulders. After that, it was all teasing touches and soft sounds and Cas opening up to him.

There was a knock on the door.

Dean ignored it in favor of sucking on the tongue Cas was slipping into his mouth.

"Dean," Sam called, knocking again.

"God damn it," Dean said, stepping back.

"You should let him in," Cas said, removing his arms from Dean's shoulders.

Letting go of Cas, Dean opened the door. "We're fine."

"Uh-huh," Sam said, stepping inside and looking from Dean to Cas and back.

"I should check in, make sure nothing has blown up in my absence," Cas said.

"Cas--" Dean started.

"I'll be back in time for breakfast. I promise."

"Fine," Dean said, and Cas vanished. Going into the bathroom, Dean gathered his clothes from the night before.

"You going to explain what's going on, here?" Sam asked when Dean came back into the main room and dropped his clothes into his duffel.

"Nothing's going on," Dean said, folding a shirt because it gave him an excuse not to look at Sam.

"I'm not an idiot," Sam said.

"Never said you were."

"Dean--"

Sucking in a breath, Dean turned and faced Sam. "I'm only going to say this once. Cas and I are--" He stopped. "Something. I'm not entirely sure what."

"Okay," Sam said slowly, and Dean could tell he was fighting a smile. "I take it this something is not just friendship."

"And people say you aren't perceptive," Dean said, turning back to his duffel.

"Nobody says that."

"They should."

"Not only are you involved with an angel, but God himself set you up," Sam said. Dean glanced at him. The corners of Sam's mouth had turned down the way they did when he was thinking. "Talk about pressure. Screw this up and you've disappointed God."

"I'm not going to screw this up," Dean said. He wasn't. Forget about disappointing God. He wasn't going to disappoint Cas. "The way I look at it. We've shared a body, after that a regular relationship should be a piece of cake."

"I prefer pie," Cas said, appearing next to Dean.

Turning, Dean grinned at Sam. "Told you so."

With a shake of his head, Sam grinned back.

Sam approved. God approved. That was more than enough for Dean. Zipping his duffel, he rested a hand on Cas's back, "What do you say we get some breakfast?"

Cas glanced at the bed.

"We can come back after breakfast," Dean said, dropping his voice to a whisper.

"I heard that," Sam said. "You can't just spend the entire day having sex."

"But, Sam," Dean said. "God wants us to." He started for the door, bringing Cas with him.

"You're going to use that as an excuse every time you want to have sex, aren't you?" Sam said, following.

Stepping into the hall, Dean glanced at Cas, who was radiating the same amused affection Dean had felt when Cas was in his head. It warmed him just as thoroughly as it had then. He winked at Cas. "Ignore Sam, he's just jealous."

"There are some very nice angels I could set him up with," Cas offered.

Sam choked.

Oh, yeah, Dean thought proudly, Cas was definitely catching onto the teasing thing.


End file.
